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Hey my little ponies! In my blogiversary post I mentioned that I had an awesome giveaway lined up to help celebrate my five year blogiversary. I wanted to wait until April’s Level Up package arrived so I could make an unpacking video and whatnot to announce said giveaway, buuuut there have been some snafus and I’m still waiting for it. – shoulder shrug –

I gotta get the ball rolling on this giveaway though, so without further ado here’s what’s up for grabs:

Five of my readers will win this month’s Level Up t-shirt bundle subscription which also includes the Lady Loot fashion accessory! So that’s five winners to rep each year this blog has been up and running. 😀

This is the t-shirt from March’s “Versus” collection

This month’s Level Up theme is “The Power” which will include a Masters of the Universe themed t-shirt and fashion accessories from Marvel and Super Mario Bros! So that’s what you can possibly win. Weee!

And FYI, the wearable item will feature swag from The Lord of the Rings, and the sock bundle will also include Masters of the Universe and Super Mario Bros.

Oh, and good news: this giveaway is open to all my readers (old and new) and international! YAASSS!!!

This is something I’ve beenwillin’ to tell ya, been wantin’ to tell ya, been waitin’ to tell ya* for the past few months, but I needed to get some stuff set up before I could go forth and talk about this amazing sponsorship opportunity I’ve landed with none other than Loot Crate! To be more specific, I’m part of Loot Crate’s affiliates program for their fashion subscription service called Level Up!!!

In case you haven’t heard of Level Up, it’s a fun subscription service for us geeks who like to literally wear our fandoms on our sleeves (or legs, or neck, or whatever part of our body). Like Loot Crate, the Level Up subscriptions come with items that are all based on the theme of the month. For example, last month’s was “Invasion” and it came with items from Space Invaders, Star Trek, and Destiny.

There are 5 different services you can subscribe to which are:

Level Up Bundle: includes 1 wearable item + 2 socks ($20.99)

Level Up Wearable: includes 1 item such as a raglan, polo, loungewear, etc. ($14.99)

Level Up T-shirt: includes 1 geeky tee ($8.99)

Level Up Socks: Includes 2 different pairs of high quality socks ($9.99)

I just wanted to share this haul/unboxing video I recorded back in December for their “Galaxy” themed items that included a bunch of amazing Star Wars goodies!! I’ll be making more unboxing vids and outfit posts every now and then when I receive the latest packages from them, so be on the lookout! Also please subscribe to my brand new YouTube channel for hauls and whatnot 😀

BTW, if you’re interested in getting one or more of the many Level Up subscriptions be sure to click here and use the code “lefancygeek” to save 10% ♥

To my fellow lady Marvel geeks, this month’s wearable item will include a Deadpool themed t-shirt by Her Universe that may or may not involve tacos… just thought you oughta know 😉

* bonus points if you get my reference!

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post as Loot Crate/Level Up sent me items to review and will gain a little bit of compensation for those who purchase subscriptions through the links provided.

I had no intention of watching the latest trailer for The Force Awakens because I’m very hellbent on watching it without knowing a damn thing. I was a little worried that the trailer might give away more than I wanted. And then my friend told me some possible spoilery theory she saw on Facebook this morning and I was like, “Why the hell would you tell me that?! I DON’T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING!!! Uuuugggghhh.” Anyhow, my plan to skip on the trailer all went out the window when my aunt called me into the other room on Monday night by yelling, “NINA! NEW STAR WARS TRAILER!!!” I totally freaked Rory out because he ran after me as I jetted off to go watch it. Whoops! And then Travis texted me a link not too long after, so there was really no escaping it.

For today’s Wookiee Wednesday I thought I’d share all the thoughts that went through my head as I watched the trailer. 😀

Ooh, it’s Rey!

(Rey zipping down) Weeeeee!

BB-8!!!!!!!!

“Who are you?” “I’m no one.” If your last name is being kept under wraps on purpose then you MUST be someone of importance, Rey.

(LucasFilms logo appears) The chills. I haz them!

Stormtroopers!!

OH MY GOD IS THAT MY HUXBAND???

Ugggghhh… why you no show my Domhnall Gleeson? 🙁

Fiiiinnnn… how the hell are you wearing all black in the desert? HOW?

Kylo Ren = Darth Vader fanboy

He looks like a bird.

Melted Darth Vader helmet hurts my heart.

STOP TORTURING POE THAT IS SO RUDE.

The Millennium Falcooooonnn!

GOOSEBUMPS. SO MANY GOOSEBUMPS.

Why is it getting blurry? Oh, that’s just my tears.

Finn and Poe… possible bromance? Why no fist bump?

What is this temple thingy?

R2! And Luke? Must be Luke.

CAPTAIN PHASMA IS KWEEEEEEEN!

Who’s maybe dead body are you crying over, Rey? WHO?!?!

LIGHTSABERS.

LEIA! OMG DON’T BE CRY, GIRL.

HAN, HOLD ME.

NOW I’MMA CRY.

OH MY GOD.

OH MY GAAAAAAAAWWWWD.

Seriously, y’all. OH. MY. GAAAWWWD! I can’t wait until December 18!! I already got my ticket for a 1:30 am IMAX show the night of the 17th! And I’m already planning on what I’m gonna wear. 😛

Geek out with me in the comments by letting me know how you reacted and whether or not you’re going to watch The Force Awakens opening weekend! 😀

PS: Happy Back to the Future Day!! I know it has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars, but I had to say something 😀

I’ve never lived in more than four places, so here’s a bit about the two cities that I have lived in…

Stockton, CA – I’ve lived here my whole life, sans the two years I was away for school at SFSU. It’s located in the central valley, so the Bay Area isn’t too far away to visit for a day and the state capitol of Sacramento is only a 45 minute drive. A few notable films have been shot here too! Indiana Jones, Flubber, and Dead Man on Campus have all had a few scenes filmed at the University of the Pacific (UOP). And Harrison Ford once opened the door of a local sushi bistro for my mom and I. What he was doing in Stockton, I’ll never know. Anyway, Stockton was a nice place to grow up, but in more recent years I feel like it’s taken on more of a Gotham City vibe as far as crime is concerned. Even though the city is trying really hard to revive itself, I’m still trying to figure out how to get out of here [again]!

Daly City, CA – I lived in Daly City for a couple of years while I studied Creative Writing at SFSU. It’s right outside of San Francisco, and the campus was practically IN Daly City. It was always sooo cold and foggy, and I got seasonal depression real bad. First I lived with my sister and her boyfriend, and then they moved to San Diego after she finished grad school. Then my aunt’s co-worker’s daughter moved in with me, and shortly after a couple of girls I used to be good friends with moved in too. Lesson learned from that experience: do not live with your friends unless you wish to remain friends. >__<

Four Jobs I’ve Had:

Star Wars Day at Barnes & Noble

Reading Tutor – This is the first job I’ve ever had, and I’m still currently there. I started back in 2008, but stopped once I transferred to SFSU. When I moved back home, I took a Children’s Lit class for fun because I was so bored from NOT finding a job, and it was taught by one of the professors I worked with at the Reading Lab. She told me that they were looking for tutors, so I looked into it and I’ve been working there ever since.

Bookseller at Barnes & Noble – I worked at B&N for a year and 3 months. It was my first retail job ever, and I got to meet some really cool people. I decided to quit last June so I could focus more on writing and work on bettering myself because the environment often triggered my anxiety and I’d have so many panic attacks while on the clock. Wah wah. But damn do I miss getting 30% off books and toys though. – le sigh –

Writer – If you read my last post, you know that I was invited to start writing for Wear Your Voice Mag as a fashion writer. This is my first real writing gig. I’m going to get paid to write about fashion, shopping, and geeky things — things that I’m passionate about! You can only imagine how excited I am, right?!

Jewelry Maker – I run an Etsy store, and though it’s not as successful as others, I definitely consider it a job!

Four Things I Don’t Eat:

Feta cheese – I call it “fatal” cheese because… well, I’ll just leave it at that.

Chinese food – My family tends to order Chinese food a lot, and I will only eat it if there’s nothing else available. I’m just not a fan of the way it sits so heavily afterwards. Blugh.

Raw onions – There’s just something about raw onions that is so gross! If I’m gonna eat it, it needs to be cooked.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – I know I’m not the only one who gets chills whenever they see the trailer! And “Chewie, we’re home.” ALL THE FEELS.

Captain America 10k – I’m both excited and worried about this because I haven’t been training properly.

The Good Dinosaur – A Pixar movie about dinosaurs? YASS PLEASE. Also the fact that we’re getting 2 Pixar movies in one year is ridiculous! I feel so spoiled. 😀

Whimsic Alley’s Geeky Crafts Fair – In December I’ll be a vendor at Whimsic Alley’s Geeky Crafts Fair!! I plan on prepping for it in October.

Four Things I Can’t Live Without:

Reaching for Cap. That’s why Hawkeye’s frowning down upon me.

Spanx – I wear a pair of Spanx (or Assets, whatever the hell they’re called) whenever I wear dresses and skirts. This means I wear them every damn day! They’re a thick-thighed girl’s best friend. #NoChubRub

Portable phone charger – Portable phone chargers are a life saver when you’re out and about, especially at places like Disneyland or Comic-Con.

Chapstick – I hate the feeling of dry lips, don’t you?

Marvel movies – I often say that one of my main reasons for living is Marvel movies. I am not joking. My friend Caitlin has heard me say this many times. They give me so much life, you guys! SO. MUCH. LIFE.

Four Celebrity Crushes:

I noticed that in this section you’re supposed to list facts about your significant other. Seeing that I’m not attached to anyone (except for Chris Evans — we are in a super serious relationship in my Mind Palace), here are 4 of my current celebrity crushes.

Chris Evans (obviously)

Tom Hiddleston (duh)

Domnhall Gleeson (isn’t he a cutie pie?!)

Matthew Gray Gubler (love this weirdo)

Four Places I’ve Visited:

The Philippines – I’ve been to the Philippines twice — when I was 5 and when I was 18 going on 19 (I actually celebrated my 19th birthday while I was there). The first time I went was to go to my grandpa’s mother’s funeral (somber much?), and then the second time I went was just to go I suppose. I don’t remember. x__x

Europe – My aunt took my sister and I to Italy for spring break when I was in 5th grade! We went to Rome, Florence, and Venice. It was super exciting, but I really want to go back because I feel like I’d appreciate it so much more than I did back then. Also, pictures. I was not cute in 5th grade, I need to redeem myself! And when I was 16 I got to go on a tour of London, Amsterdam (with a brief stop in Brussels), and Paris with my aunt, mom, and sister. In Amsterdam, our tour group ate at a floating Chinese restaurant (random as hell), and then went on a tour of the Red Light District. It was weird.

New York, NY – Visiting New York has been a dream of mine ever since I was probably 5. I finally got to go last year with my sister and we had so much fun exploring New York, Manhattan, and Brooklyn! Except we totally forgot to eat New York style cheesecake and failed to grab a black and white cookie. All the more reason for us to go back. 😀

Portland, OR – Last year I got to go to Portland and it was the greatest city I have ever visited in all my life! The food! The people! EVERYTHING WAS SPECTACULAR.

Four Pet Peeves:

I can only pick four? Oh lord, here we go…

Bad grammar – I majored in Creative Writing (technically it says English on my diploma, but whatever), OF COURSE BAD GRAMMAR IS GOING TO BOTHER ME. When people don’t use the right form of then/than, there/their/they’re, whether/weather, etc, it drives me insane. Or when a lot is spelled as “alot” when it’s supposed to be two words? Ruuuugggghhh. I’m totally okay with internet lingo such as speaking like Doge or saying things like “I can haz sammich,” but overall horrible, terrible, no good grammar? NO. SO MUCH NO. NOPE. OKAY BYE.

Students using their phones during class – Why is your phone on the table during class? Why are you on Twitter when I’m sitting next to you looking over your annotations (this seriously happened yesterday)? Why are you texting? Why are you snapping selfies? Why are you on Snapchat? PUT YOUR DAMN PHONE AWAY. It is so hard to take students seriously when I see them fiddling with their phone. I’m so glad that I went to school before Smartphones became a thing. Don’t care if I’m dating myself here, but they’re so effing distracting!

When *NSYNC is spelled incorrectly – N SYNC, N’SYNC, N sync, Nsync — THESE ARE ALL WRONG. The only way you should be spelling *NSYNC is with each letter in caps with no space between N and SYNC, and with an asterisk or apostrophe at the beginning. Okay? Okay. Cool.

When people use the word “literally” as “figuratively” – The only time I’m ever okay with the word literally being used incorrectly is when Rob Lowe’s character on Parks & Recreation says it. Other than that, if you say things like, “Oh my god, I literally died when I found out blah blah blah” I’m going to side-eye you so hard. You didn’t LITERALLY die. If you did, that would make you a zombie since you managed to come back to life.

Four Things I Wish I Could Do:

Run – I want to be able to run like Captain America in the beginning of Captain America: Winter Soldier for more than 30 seconds. >_<

Sing – You know how in TV shows or movies, there’s a shy girl that’s like “Oh, no. I don’t sing. I’m not very good” and then she breaks out of her shell and has the voice of an angel? Yeah, that is NOT ME. When I sing along with whatever’s playing on Pandora or whatever I get super sad about my lack of talent in the singing department. I don’t even have a decent voice for karaoke, which makes me feel like I’ve failed as a Filipino!

Ignore writer’s block – Writer’s block is the woo000rrrrssstt. I get distracted really easily, but when I finally get in the zone, I’m in the goddamn zone! However, I don’t allow myself to focus hard enough to get any of my creative projects done.

Wield a light saber or some other weapon like a complete BAMF – Because not only would I look really awesome, it would also let people know that even though I wear girly things and sound like a My Little Pony when I talk (I have the girliest sounding voice, it’s ridiculous) that I am not one to be messed with. Y’know what I’m sayin’?

Four Subjects I Studied At School:

This sums it up quite well

Creative Writing – I only mentioned that I majored in it how many times in this post alone?

Journalism – I was on my junior college’s newspaper staff for 2 semesters. It was extremely stressful and full of drama, but I somehow found a way to have fun and also met my bestest friend in the newsroom. HI SHANICE!

Graphic Design – I originally wanted to major in graphic design because I wanted to come out with a t-shirt line featuring some of the cute doodles I used to draw. Then I started taking classes and realized that though it was fun, I couldn’t see myself making a career out of it.

Art History/Humanities – This was one of my favorite subjects because it combined history, art, and English all in one. What’s not to love?

I’m still mourning the loss of my most favorite TV show, Parks & Recreation, which just joined Li’l Sebastian in that stable in sky last Tuesday with its series finale. 🙁 In honor of it, this Funday Post will consist of all things Parks & Rec!

If you follow me on Instagram and Twitter, you might know that I did the Whole30 diet. I started on January 19 and finished on February 17, and lost a total of 12lbs! I forgot to measure my belly, hips, and thighs, so I have no idea how many inches I lost, but oh well!

So, what exactly is the Whole30? It’s a diet that is supposed to help you reset your body, aid you in changing your relationship with food, and help get rid of health ailments (inflammation, heart burn, acne, etc). I first heard about it on Diana’s blog Our City Lights (go figure, I find out most things from her), and after she finished she posted the most amazing before and after shot on her Instagram account. Naturally, I became very curious about the Whole30 after that.

I love food, but my relationship with it has always had a bit of a Sid and Nancy vibe (re: volatile). I’m an emotional eater with a sweet tooth that won’t quit. I’m also a bonafide cereal killer — I could kill a whole box of Lucky Charms in one day if I wanted to (this is why I avoid Lucky Charms and opt for Honey Nut Cheerios and Special K). So when I looked into what the Whole30 was all about after reading how successful Diana was with it, I thought I should give it a go. The Whole30 diet has you eliminate dairy (cheese, milk, ice cream, yogurt), legumes (peanut butter!), and refined sugar (practically in everything I love) for 30 days — it’s like an extreme, strictly Paleo diet.

The first two weeks were rough! I felt totally fine on day 1, but then I had the worst stomach cramps. Apparently, it’s natural for your body to react that way during the first week or so because your body is like, “Ugh. The fuck is this?! It’s all natural and healthy. Where are those sammiches, girl?!” And I would’ve totally been prepared for that if I read It Starts With Foodall the way through before starting my Whole30 — read that book if you decide to do your own Whole30, it explains everything you need to know about it and its benefits and all that good stuff! I was just way too eager to begin my Whole30. Don’t be like me! Read and plan it out first!

The Whole30 forced me to prepare food for myself, rather than relying on take-out or pre-made food that just needs to be heated. I’m SUPER lazy when it comes to food. I mean… yes, I LOVE to eat it, but I loathe cooking. I find it to be horrendously boring, but I know it’s necessary. Aidell’s Chicken Apple Sausages, and the turkey, chicken lime, and grassfed beef patties at Trader Joe’s have all been my saviors during the Whole30! And the 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s made everything tastier. Like I said before, I’m super lazy in the kitchen, so if you’re like me it’s totally possible to get through the Whole30. 🙂

Anyway, my reasons for wanting to try out the Whole30 are pretty much the same reasons why anyone wants to lose weight: to be healthy and to feel more confident about their physical appearance. I’ve been taking kickboxing classes since last May, and I’ve only seen the results in my toned calves and bum. Other than that, my belly was still super bloated as well as every other body part. Relying on exercise obviously isn’t the key, and I knew that I had to step up and be more mindful of the food I ate (or didn’t eat, because I probably only ever ate two meals a day). All my ailments always relate to stress too. I’ve been suffering from stress induced acid reflux for the last 8 years, my skin began to breakout regularly after me and my ex broke up over a year ago, and I’ve been more on edge and prone to multiple anxiety attacks. Blugh! Since doing the Whole30, I haven’t had any acid reflux problems and my skin is slowly starting to get clear again. My disposition isn’t quite sunny, but I’ve been feeling less angsty and moody lately. I’m also a bit more energetic. When I went to my kickboxing class on Tuesday, I was actually able to make through a few rounds of burpees! 🙂

Giving up all the junky comfort food I love wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be. In fact, my cravings for sweets has calmed down. I ate a cookie the day after I finished and I was totally content with just eating one, rather than scarfing down the whole bag that my friend made for me.

However, this gif sums up how I felt 50% of the time…

Seriously. Pizza HAUNTED me. One day I came home from work and found a coupon for pizza taped to the door, right on the damn keyhole! And then my mom asked me to pick up pizza one night too, but then she realized how mean that was. And then National Pizza Day happened on the 9th and it was ALL OVER my Instagram feed! Ugh. And the only compliant places you can go to while on this diet are Chipotle (salad w/carnitas, salsa, and guacamole) or In-N-Out (protein style, tomato, fried mustard). On Galentine’s Day we went to Roam Artisan Burger in San Francisco so I could avoid Chipotle and In-N-Out.

Shanice and Jen also did the Whole30 with me, so we’re going out for pizza tonight to celebrate. Huzzah!

I’m really glad that I did the Whole30 and stuck with it. Even though I’m going out for pizza tonight, I’m planning on sticking with this new lifestyle change with the occasional “cheat” meal because life without cookies and cheese is not a life worth living.